RoydadNaft –  Abadan’s member of parliament said the city’s oil refinery should stay out of private hands and criticized the current privatization track.

Seyed Mohammad Molavi told a meeting with Abadan industrialists that the plant is not just a business but a strategic piece of Iran’s energy security, economic stability, jobs and social calm in Khuzestan, Roydad Naft reported. Governments owe Abadan a debt, he said, and should not pay it from the city’s pocket.

The refinery was put on the Article 44 list for transfer to the non-state sector to shrink the government’s role. Expert reviews show the conditions for a sale are not in place now, he said.

Its border location and role in passive defense and stable energy supply mean any decision must rest on national and provincial interest. Removing Abadan Refinery from the Article 44 list is now a priority demand at the provincial government, Molavi said. Follow-up is to run through the coordination deputy with the Oil Ministry, the Economy Ministry, the Privatization Organization and legal bodies until a final result.

Besides gasoline, gasoil, LPG and other products, the refinery is a main industrial hub in southwestern Iran.